Advice to parents after reports that children's smartwatches can be hacked

Analysis published today (October 18) by the Norwegian Consumer Council has highlighted concerns around data protection laws and the privacy rights around some children’s watches sold in the UK.

A spokesperson for the National Cyber Security Centre said:

“Parents who are worried about this report should contact the manufacturers. As with all products, if security updates become available they should be installed as soon as possible.

“The Government’s Secure by Default Programme, as detailed in the National Cyber Security Strategy, will help spread good practices and initiatives for companies to adopt.

“All Internet-connected devices should have built-in security measures to ensure the benefits of smart technology are not outweighed by potential harms.”

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Further Information

Manufacturers of Internet-connected devices should ensure those devices have appropriate security measures built in and seek to ensure emerging technologies are secure by design.

For device manufacturers, the NCSC has guidance around how to build devices that are Secure by Default. This guidance details some high-level principles that help to ensure that products are designed in a secure way. The NCSC also has Password Guidance that advises manufacturers to ensure that random strong passwords are set at manufacture time, and that users are aware of the need to change default passwords to a strong password upon purchase.